Sign up for a belly dancing class * Volunteer for an intriguing project at work that falls slightly outside of your job description * Check out a new art museum exhibit * Attend a networking event geared toward an industry that interests you * Ask someone with your dream job if you can take them to coffee and pick their brain * Browse through a section of your local bookstore you normally wouldn’t * Sip tea at a café and people watch * Follow the people you admire on Twitter * Watch some Ted Talks * Go on a hike and soak in all the natural beauty surrounding you * Cook a new recipe * Get a massage * Paint one wall of your bedroom a crazy color * Plan a vacation * Take a short story writing class * Play with little kids * carry a small notepad with you everywhere you go to keep track of your ideas * Write down your dreams * By fresh flowers for your desk * Attend an open mic night * Bedazzle something
“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life”
-John Lennon
I feel like everyone I know is going through a quarter life crisis. Whether sipping coffee with a coworker, downing omelets at Sunday brunch, unrolling my yoga mat before class, or sipping cocktails at a bar, I can’t count the number of times lately that I’ve heard some variation of:
“I don’t know what I’m doing with my life and I’m freaking the F*** out about it”.
A little while back I told you to quit your quarter life kvetching and work on living in the present. And while I do think that focusing on the “now” and cultivating gratitude is super important, I also think a little kvetching (*ahem* questioning) is essential.
So if you are seeking greater clarity about what really lights you up inside, what you want to do with your life, etc., I invite grab a pen and pen and paper and answer the following questions:
*NOTE this exercise works best when you write your answers quickly without thinking too much about them
1. How satisfied are you with where you are in your life?
2. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
3. If money were no object, how would you spend your time (after raging on a private island for a few months, of course)?
4. What would you like your life to look like in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?
5. Who inspires you and why?
6. What issues do you feel most passionate about?
7. Who are you jealous of and why?
8. What were your favorite past times as a little kid?
9. What skills/abilities do people always complement you on?
10. When have you been the happiest in your life and why? What elements of that time could you incorporate into your current situation?
11. What are your three worst habits what is the payoff for continuing them?
12. What are five things that sound really fun but you would never do?
13. What would your ideal life look like? Where would you live? What would you do for work? What would your relationships look like? What would you eat? What would you do for fun?
I hope answering some of these questions helped spark a few ideas about what lights you up and what you want out of life! I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
Also, remember…
“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that is your own self. So you have to begin there, not outside, not on other people.”
-Aldous Huxley
Spent last weekend “improving my corner” if you will at a fabulous yoga retreat in West Virginia. Led by the ever inspiring Kimberly Wilson, the retreat included oodles of yoga, hiking, art journaling, and vegetarian food in a cozy cabin in the woods. I even treated myself to a lovely massage and pumpkin facial at a nearby spa! Feel so relaxed and rejuvenated and would highly recommend Kimberly’s retreats to any gal in need of a little escape and R&R.
Happy Monday and wishing you all a lovely week!
xoxo
Looking to have a scary amount of fun this Halloween? Why not…
* Whip up one of Refinery 29’s list of creepy cocktails
* Get spooked at one of DC’s many haunted houses, forests or city tours
* Set sail on a Boo Cruise
* Host a pumpkin carving soiree
* Make Halloween playlist featuring classics like Monster Mash, Ghost Busters and Thriller
or check out Goop’s Halloween Party Playlist
* Take a costume quiz to figure out what you should dress up as or check out these super cute DIY costume ideas from Lauren Conrad
* Check out The Washington Ballet’s production of Dracula
* Halloweenify (yes its a word!) your place with fun n’ festive fall touches courtesy of The Glitter Guide
* Make sure to have lots of GOOD candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Kids take their candy seriously, just ask these little ones who were pranked by their parents
* Give yourself a spook-tacular manicure
*Bake some mouthwatering pumpkin-cinnamon doughnuts
Hope the next few weeks are terrifyingly terrific!
(Above photo Courtesy of Cupcakes & Cashmere)
“In today’s culture, more and more people are building metaphorical sanctuaries on their spin bikes, temples on their mats, and churches within the walls of their dance studio. Times that were once reserved for religious service attendance, are now reserved with equal dedication for yoga and fitness classes. This kind of spiritual practice is highly individual in that the power is not in the search for answers, but in the recognition that we already have them. Whether through chaturangas or sprints, grande jetes or push-ups, we are peeling something very physical and mental away to tap into the core of our spiritual being. We pray through our pores, period.”
–Lululemon Blog
I so resonate with the idea of exercise as a form of prayer and thought this beautiful passage was too good not to share. Can’t wait to pray through my pores this week!
In an attempt to savor the changing seasons and cultivate some autumnal appreciation, I’ve decided to share my five favorite things about the beginning of fall. In no particular order…
